Bilas' take

[Pflugerville Ag]

I normally am not a big fan of Jay Bilas, but I like what he has said about our game/team in this article...

http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/ncaatourney08/insider/columns/story?columnist=bilas_jay&id=3309221&univLogin02=stateChanged&action=upsell&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fncb %2fncaatourney08%2finsider%2fcolumns%2fstory%3fcol umnist%3dbilas_jay%26id%3d3309221%26univLogin02%3d stateChanged


Best Coaching Job, First Season: Mark Turgeon, Texas A&M. Turgeon brought his team to within a whistle of beating UCLA in the Bruins' backyard, and he did so without a true point guard. Texas A&M finished the season playing very well, and Turgeon did an outstanding job. He is a blend of toughness and positive reinforcement who will win anywhere.


Second-Best Fact: Texas A&M's Turgeon played on his high school golf team in Topeka, Kans., and, as a 5-handicap, shot a 66 in the rain to qualify for a national junior golf championship. But Turgeon had a basketball commitment on the same weekend as the golf tournament, and his father wouldn't let him swing the club. Today, Turgeon is a double-digit handicap, and it's the fans and boosters who won't let him play.


Toughest Team: Texas A&M. The Aggies had to play Kansas State and Kansas in the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City, and they had to play UCLA in Anaheim. If the officials had the guts to call a foul at the end of the game, what was next? The Lakers at the Staples Center?


Worst No Call: At the end of the UCLA-Texas A&M game, Donald Sloan (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/player/profile?playerId=31808) drove the lane for a potential game winning shot. Sloan was fouled. There is no question about it. A foul should have been called by the officials, and the shooter should have been protected. UCLA's Josh Shipp (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/player/profile?playerId=22166) clearly hit Sloan on the arm on the shot, and the officials either missed it or chose not to call it because it was a late-game situation. Either way, the no call was unacceptable. The contact on the play was not incidental. No reasonable official can look at that play and suggest otherwise.


Worst Call Made:
Curtis Shaw was the law of the court, and he is a good official. I respect his right to make such a call, I just disagree with it. But, if I were in charge of the advancement of officials in this year's NCAA tournament, Curtis Shaw would watch the remainder of the tournament at home, and so would the officials in the Texas A&M-UCLA game.

[whitelightnin_23]

wow...excellent!

I was screaming foul when I saw the play...the photos just made me angry...

Regardless, a hell of a game by the Ags...:gig:

[DCAggie]

When watching it live, I just figured it was a close call and so they let the kids play (I also have an old tv w/ poor picture), so to speak. Seeing the pictures was tough. Sloan played a great game. At least this gives him some vindication and verifies his claim that he was fouled, though it's a small consolation.

[Pflugerville Ag]

I just want us to play UCLA next year so that Sloan can have some payback.

[Pumchavas28]

2nd Round A&M vs UCLA some where in Texas, another 1 vs 9 match-up... This time A&M is a 1 seed & UCLA is the 9...:cool:

[phatbc]

2nd Round A&M vs UCLA some where in Texas, another 1 vs 9 match-up... This time A&M is a 1 seed & UCLA is the 9...:cool::gig: With help from the man upstairs

[12th man fan]

:gig: With help from the man upstairs


BB?

[phatbc]

BB?:laugh:

[Fxalaweed]

nothing but the Lord's Gospel comming from the former Blue Devil:gig:

[ridersfan06]

Lets play them again, but instead of the game being close, blow them out so the refs don't have a chance to have a say in who wins:popcorn:

[aggie07]

It was such a bad call that all the sips here in austin agree with me!

[ridersfan06]

lets do a replay from the point of the missed foul call

[phatbc]

lets do a replay from the point of the missed foul calltheres still time to do it...

[ridersfan06]

think they would do it? Or would ucla cry so much that the ncaa would back off?

[phatbc]

they would never do it.

although i think if it was a non-subjective call and a play to end a game decisively there should be something in place. like lets say we made a 3 before the buzzer, but they said the buzzer already sounded. they go look at the screen on the court, and still can't be certain so say no. then the next day they use a super high powered review that can look really close at smaller interval frames, and see that, yes, our basket should count. I think they should be able to reverse something like that. I know I know, its crazy, but in that instance, it seems plausible and just.

[ridersfan06]

The refs should not be allowed to work anymore of the tourney games. There is no excuse for a call like that to be missed. The refs had to have seen the foul and then chose not to call it. Make the refs come to A&M and apologize for missing that call.